Network funding

In 2024, a total of 151 applications were received for Network funding. Of these, 116 applications were for Short-term network funding while 35 were for Long-term network funding. As in previous years, the Short-term network funding had two application rounds while the Long-term network funding had only one application round in the beginning of the year.

A total of 23 applications were granted Network funding, of which four were long-term net­works and 19 short-term networks. The total amount granted was € 650 133, of which € 345 133 was issued to short-term networks and € 305 000 was issued to long-term net­works.

As in the previous years, the highest sum granted to an individual short-term network was € 20 000 which is the maxi­mum amount that can be granted to a one-year collaboration. 11 networks in total received the maximum support within Short-term network funding. None of the applied long-term networks in 2024 received the maximum amount. The highest sum granted to an individual long-term network was € 90 000, the lowest sum granted was € 65 000. All four granted long-term networks have previously received Short-term network funding.

Among all the granted networks, Finland (participation in 21 of granted networks) was the top country participating in the networks, followed by Norway in 16, Sweden in 14, Estonia in 12 and Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania in 11 of the granted networks. Eight of granted networks have Icelandic partners. Faroe Islands is represented in one of the granted networks, Greenland and Åland Islands in none of the networks.

Of all 23 granted networks in 2024, 18 (78 %) included at least one partner from one of the Nordic countries and one of the Baltic countries.

Network of Nordic School Concert Providers collaborate to expand access to live music, highlighting sustainability and intergenerational responsibility. Photo: Noora Herranen

None of the granted networks consisted of the three Baltic countries only and five projects (22 %) were con­ducted as partnerships between the Nordic countries only. In addition, 13 of all networks (57 %) included a country outside the region. Other partner countries participating in the networks include Canada, France (2), Germany (2), Great Britain (2), Hungary, Lebanon, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Ten (43 %) of the granted Network funding applications involved multidisciplinary initiatives. The most common single art forms among the grant receivers in 2024 were theatre and visual arts with four granted projects each. Two of granted projects were for film, then circus, cultural heritage and music were represented by one granted project each.

Successful applications had clear activity plans supported by a broad engagement and well-articulated expectations on long-term effects on their art field.

“The need for capacity building is strong in the Nordic-Baltic field of art and culture,” says Katarina Lindholm, chair of the expert group for network funding within the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture.

“Several applications also extended beyond traditional art disciplines, though they maintained a clear connection to art and culture. We received applications ranging from academic projects and research initiatives to projects on cultural policy and lobbying – all welcome contributions,” Lindholm says.

Following examples present some of the themes for collaboration among the nineteen short-term network applications that were granted funding.

is sharing competencies and developing structures for enabling accessibility to experiencing live music of high quality via schools in various parts of our region. An indiginous perspective of sustainability highlighted the intergenerational connection and our responsibilities towards our youth and children, both socially and ecologically.

received funding to retain typesetting machines and the intangible heritage related to typesetting. These machines revolutionised printing and played a crucial role in global literacy, news dissemination, and freedom of expression. The network will pass on knowledge to younger generations through workshops and online meetings.

works to promote dialogue between initiatives addressing precarious material, and social and political conditions for artists and art workers in the Baltic and Nordic countries.

is a network aimed at strengthening, supporting, inspiring, and celebrating women, transgender people, non-binary individuals, and those with fluid gender identities working with cameras and lighting.​

Applications granted long-term network funding were all related to societal needs or phenomenons. The four networks granted long-term network funding were:

unites arts professionals speaking the relatively small languages of Estonian, Icelandic, Finnish, Meänkieli and Welsh. The network entwines cultural entities with similar challenges and creates knowledge through verbalisations of artistic landscapes.

Both projects stand up to the challenges within contemporary media environment and diminishing resources for critique in various fields of art.

focuses on the inter-linkage, growth and resilience of residency cooperation in both the Nordic-Baltic Region and Ukraine through mutual in-person network exchange. Artists at Risk (AR) partnered with 120 artists-in-residences to host over 200 artists in the Nordic/Baltic Region in 2022-23; and 14 residences to host 100 artists in Ukraine. This project will interconnect the hosts through two major networking conferences and multiple exchange-residencies of hosting-coordinators.

With many high-quality applications submitted, Katarina Lindholm explains that the discussions of the expert group centred around which sectors or communities most needed the funding and the long-term impact of the networks. As Lindholm concludes:

“We believed it was important to support networks addressing the current uncertainty in the field. For instance, we decided to fund a project focusing on securing individual artists’ rights in the region rather than supporting new initiatives within already established international networks.”

The Independent Community Radio Network connects and supports like-minded community radios with the shared goal of establishing a more sustainable and long-term future for the field of independent radio. Photo: Ieva Černaiuskaitė

The expert group also notes that the applications reflect the field’s need for basic funding.

“It’s easy to find strong projects among the applications that deserve support, but to meet the criteria for network funding, a clear plan is needed for the network’s development, how the work will be communicated, and what ripple effects the project might generate over time,” Lindholm points out.

The benefits and synergies for a specific art field can most easily be seen in mentoring programmes such as NB8 Circle – Mentoring Program, which was a capacity building mentorship program and network for freelance dance producers. The aim was to strengthen the infrastructure for management, production and distribution of contemporary dance in the Nordic and Baltic region, and to help the freelance dance sector to recover from covid-19.

NB8 Circle was a joint initiative of contemporary dance organizations in five Nordic countries, with six associate partners in the Baltic countries and other Nordic regions. In their final report the representatives of the network presented the long-term synergy effect of this network as: 

“The NB8 Nordic Circle program has been elemental for the professional growth of the participants. After the mentoring cycles have ended, the mentees and mentors have had a strong desire to continue the dialogue. This has created more sharing, more collaboration, more generosity and a stronger dance field.”

Long-term effects can also be results of a combined visibility via partners, essential strengthening of competitivity and working possibilities, as described by Artillery 35 from Baltic Immersive Audio Network:

“Our activities attracted international interest, and we noticed an influx of new users and subscribers to our monthly newsletter and more organizations and projects reaching out to us for information or collaboration proposals. “

Effects on gender equality within network funding usually are about inclusion, working opportunities and fair remunerations, but depending on art field, these need to be seen from several perspectives. A new Nordic network "Dance - A Lifelong Expression" described theirs as follows:

“It will be very important going forward to try to recruit men into projects like these, which tend to have a majority of female participants. We are still working on equalizing the gender gap within dance and health. The project has also greatly helped to change attitudes towards older women professionals working in the arts. Within this field of work there is a large majority of older women continuing their dance careers into older age, this helps to change the common stereotype of the belief that dance is best when it is executed by young beautiful females, and that when we age, we are no longer attractive or wanted in the workplace. This project is demonstrating that experience and maturity are the most needed qualities when delivering such demanding and challenging work.”

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